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jim takes a geographic look at the situation here. jim? >> for our viewers, if you have any doubt that ukraine is important to the u.s. or russia, it really helps to look at the map. let's start with why it is important to the west. ukraine, it's not some distant land. it's in europe. the green is nato allies. the u.s. has an obligation to defend them if they come under threat. ukraine is not a member, but there has been talk in recent years about tightening the ties. we lost the map there. it is also close to cities that americans visit all the time. paris, rome, a little further away to london. let's get to why it's important to russia. this is the key here, that's the key russian naval base. the headquarters of the black sea fleet, this is russia's only warm water port. all the ones up north are cold in the winter. not necessarily going to have access. this one takes them through the black sea, through the mediterranean and out to the atlantic. and that is an essential national security interest of the russians. one more point just to c
jim takes a geographic look at the situation here. jim? >> for our viewers, if you have any doubt that ukraine is important to the u.s. or russia, it really helps to look at the map. let's start with why it is important to the west. ukraine, it's not some distant land. it's in europe. the green is nato allies. the u.s. has an obligation to defend them if they come under threat. ukraine is not a member, but there has been talk in recent years about tightening the ties. we lost the map...
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Mar 5, 2014
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jim, what do you know? >> reporter: first thing to point out before i detail that phone call, we're getting word that the president is at a local fund-raiser in the washington, d.c. and told people at the fund-raiser that we may be able to deescalate this crisis in his words. the u.s. may be able to deescalate the crisis in the coming days so interesting to hear the president using the words, perhaps a hopeful sign about the way the white house feels about what's happening in ukraine at this point. but getting to that phone call, yes, as we all know it took place on saturday. 90 minutes long and according to a senior administration official briefing reporters on that phone call earlier this evening, the president and vladimir putin spent much of that time during that phone call debating the facts on the ground with respect to what's happening on the ground in ukraine. russian president basically saying that he's trying to defend the rights of ethnic russians in ukraine and the president spent the time sayin
jim, what do you know? >> reporter: first thing to point out before i detail that phone call, we're getting word that the president is at a local fund-raiser in the washington, d.c. and told people at the fund-raiser that we may be able to deescalate this crisis in his words. the u.s. may be able to deescalate the crisis in the coming days so interesting to hear the president using the words, perhaps a hopeful sign about the way the white house feels about what's happening in ukraine at...
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Mar 6, 2014
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so jim, you're learning new information about when vladimir putin decided to move into crimea. what do you know? >> reporter: speaking to intelligence officials as well as other officials who read these reports last week, these intelligence assessments of what was going to happen and what was likely to happen, there are indications that there was not a vastly premeditated decision by vladimir putin to take action on the ground, that it was a relatively last-minute decision. that's one reason why it was difficult to predict. officials also say that he's an unpredictable character, he's done these sort of things before, last minute decisions, and that was a variable in there that made it difficult for them to say he was definitely going to act, when was he going to act, and indeed he did and caught many off guard. >> bob, over the last several days or so, there have been several members of congress who have been very critical of the cia asking why didn't the cia or the united states know that putin was going to responsibility militarily until he had already done it. did this last
so jim, you're learning new information about when vladimir putin decided to move into crimea. what do you know? >> reporter: speaking to intelligence officials as well as other officials who read these reports last week, these intelligence assessments of what was going to happen and what was likely to happen, there are indications that there was not a vastly premeditated decision by vladimir putin to take action on the ground, that it was a relatively last-minute decision. that's one...
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Mar 1, 2014
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. >> jim, obviously the fact that president obama himself spoke out about this underscores the concern within the white house right now. congressman mike rogers saying russian forces control crimea. what's the latest from your sources? >> reporter: the u.s. believes these are russian troops. whether they have the markings on their uniforms or not. and i think in light of our intelligence capabilities you can be pretty confident they know the scale of the number of troops and so on on the ground there. remember, you're looking at those videos in fact of helicopters coming in. that's a russian airplane. that's a russian helicopter that the russians used coming across into ukranian territory. the question what are the russians' intentions? they've taken over the airports, sent more troops to their sea ports there, appear to be forces around a pro-russian television station. are there intentions to protect some russian interests in crimea or do they have greater intentions to take control as representative mike rogers said at the crimean peninsula. administration officials are saying they'
. >> jim, obviously the fact that president obama himself spoke out about this underscores the concern within the white house right now. congressman mike rogers saying russian forces control crimea. what's the latest from your sources? >> reporter: the u.s. believes these are russian troops. whether they have the markings on their uniforms or not. and i think in light of our intelligence capabilities you can be pretty confident they know the scale of the number of troops and so on...
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Feb 28, 2014
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chief national security correspondent jim sciutto joins us. despite these exercises, troops mobilizing on the border, the obama administration seems confident russia will not be moving troops into ukraine? >> reporter: that's the pentagon's assessment they're not going to act. what's changed in the last 24 hours, because the russians have moved these troops, mobilized these war planes, put them on alert as well, if president putin decided he did want to go in they could poomove so quick u.s. would not have a chance to react to it. that's increased the level of nervousness among administration officials. what would the u.s. do in reaction? we're talking really about only diplomatic means, protests, et cetera. because the supreme nato commander and american general breedlove says europe is not planning certainly any military reaction if the russians were to go in. >> it would be a huge deal if they went in obviously. the question is what would happen inside the ukraine. people there, the country dividing. what about putin? i know he spoke to pre
chief national security correspondent jim sciutto joins us. despite these exercises, troops mobilizing on the border, the obama administration seems confident russia will not be moving troops into ukraine? >> reporter: that's the pentagon's assessment they're not going to act. what's changed in the last 24 hours, because the russians have moved these troops, mobilized these war planes, put them on alert as well, if president putin decided he did want to go in they could poomove so quick...
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Feb 26, 2014
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cnn's chief national security correspondent jim sciutto is here. let's cut through the noise, the politics and spin. what are we talking about in terms of cuts to the military? break it down. >> reporter: you look at the numbers. the current budget is basically halfway between what the pentagon wanted and the more draconian cuts that came during sequestration. the real headline number is reducing the size of the army from a peak during those two wars in afghanistan and iraq from 570,000 to 450,000. cutting the wart hog designed to attack soviet tanks, also cutting benefits such as housing allowances for soldiers, subsidies to stores on military bases. some of these are politically sensitive things. but as always the military is trying to make a balance of priorities with the numbers that they've been given. >> so in terms of the cuts, obviously the things like housing allowance, that's going to affect the livelihood, the lifestyle of soldiers which is obviously an incredibly important thing and marines and sailors and others. in terms of the danger
cnn's chief national security correspondent jim sciutto is here. let's cut through the noise, the politics and spin. what are we talking about in terms of cuts to the military? break it down. >> reporter: you look at the numbers. the current budget is basically halfway between what the pentagon wanted and the more draconian cuts that came during sequestration. the real headline number is reducing the size of the army from a peak during those two wars in afghanistan and iraq from 570,000...